Page 23 of Red Demon
I drew out a long breath, thinking it through. “Why? Mahakal seemed more concerned with keeping the worst of what’s happening secret.” I gave Asher a side glance.
Galen shifted on the bench. “There’s no politics but dirty politics. The empire wants people to believe they have the situation under control, because that gives them the best chance of making that true.”
“If you are up every morning preparing to defend yourselves, you know no one’s safe,” I said.
Galen gave a tight, slow nod. “Queen Azara’s empire does less for the people of our town than the Attiq-ka council used to. She can only wield so much power on the edges of the empire, and I don’t resent her for that. Queen Azara did what she could and asked for little back—her priests enhanced the khels on our walls. No ghost can enter this town, neither a malicious ruren-sa nor the rest.” Galen took another bite. “We only need to concern ourselves with whoever is riling the ghosts up, and presumably they have bodies we can fight.”
Asher nodded in agreement, his face tight.
“Ghosts? What about the bioweapon, virus, whatever it is?” I asked.
He frowned. “No Asri has contracted SBO yet anywhere in Noé, to my knowledge, just Chaeten. Until now, I had no Chaeten in my town to worry about besides the barrack soldiers, and well, you’d be dead by now if you could catch it at all.”
I drummed my fingers on the table. “What do you think will happen when I tell Major Mahakal what I told you?”
Galen leaned back on the stool and scratched his curly black hair. “With a story like yours, the sole survivor of Crofton, chances are he’d want to make sure others could question you too. He’ll take you to his commander, and no one in the Barrack will tell me who that is, but I suspect he reports directly to the General himself. Seems we’ll be losing a worker soon.”
“Don’t do it.” Asher said.
I whipped my gaze to him.
He crumpled, looking between his father and me. “They won’t let you say no if you don’t want to go away.”
I smiled. “You’d miss me already, Ash?”
“Well, yeah,” he said, his brown and gold eyes wide.
That stark honesty took me aback. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Could your militia kill the Red Demon?” I asked Galen. “With Istaran?”
Galen finished the last of his stew and put down his spoon with a clank. “With any blade. A Chaeten-sa is a difficult kill, not impossible. She’ll move faster, heal and mute her pain as she goes. But it’s still blood in her heart and muscle connecting her head to her shoulders. Outnumbered, she will die like anyone else.” Galen made a gesture from his heart. “We won’t go roaming the wild looking for her, but if she attacked this town, we’d face her without mercy. It is no sin to kill a demon.”
I nodded, and those words fanned an ember of hope to flame.
Chapter 10
Mahakal
Two days later, I sought Mahakal out at the temple, a tall, ornate structure that had likely been at the center of town since its inception. Inside, the air tasted smoky—the scent of the incense burning in little metal grates was altogether foreign to me, but soothing.
Candles flickered shadows across the stark Asri marble walls and the frescoes high above. Along the alcove that led to offices and private rooms, however, the temple gave the Chaeten a voice, vibrant art depicting war heroes and half-remembered history from our lost planet. I paused at a painting of the day my ancestor’s planet died, a bright corona around the once shining globe. On one side, the planet was stark and black as the surrounding void. On the other, the webs of golden lights held out long enough for vessels to escape. I made myself keep moving, feeling watched. Maybe I was being watched. I turned to see two acolytes drifting through the sanctuary toward me, slithering with seductive grace. What sheer fabric they wore let me see everything the man and woman were not wearing underneath. Voids. Their eyes gleamed in unison with a practiced welcome at my tall, muscled form. But I was no soldier from the nearby barrack looking to buy some time with them. Once they were close enough to see my face through the smoke, their smiles vanished, replaced by what might be pity. Sorry. Too young to fuck either of you, even if I could afford the donation. Shame flamed hot in my cheeks when the man turned back, catching me leering at his muscled back and ass. I looked away. Across the sanctuary was an open door, and then I saw who I came for, and that set both my heads straight. Inside, Major Mahakal leaned against an intricate marble pillar, whispering with two red-armored soldiers. He crossed muscular arms and frowned, his black and silver tunic stark against the white room, with a sash mimicking the green and violet sheen of his raven. Two other high-ranking Z’har sat near him at a table, their faces torn with thin scars, their conversation punctuated with grim nods. As I approached, their voices trailed off, replaced by a mute chorus of three hard stares.
“Major Mahakal.” I forced my feet forward.
An assessing frown creased his brow. “Friend, find a priest for your questions.” Captain Havoc took a step forward to direct me away. Major Mahakal raised a hand in quiet, his green eyes squinting at me.
“Did you know the Red Demon attacked Crofton?” The words tumbled out in a rush. Mahakal scarcely adjusted his posture, but I felt a wave of emotion shift in the little room. “She’s responsible for the Crofton Mine collapse, and I think all the deaths in that town.”
Major Mahakal smiled, and although I found the intensity of his grin a bit terrifying, it felt like he was listening. “You’ve seen this firsthand?”
I squinted my eyes shut, clenching and unclenching a fist. To admit that I had would mean I’d come from below the Bend, that I escaped the quarantine efforts. “Yes.”
“I see,” he said, his voice deep and honeyed.
“Major,” Captain Havoc said, and the silent conversation that took place between him, Mahakal and the other Asri officer made all the hairs on my neck stand up. I’d said goodbye to Ash and Galen just in case, and Asher had hugged me so tight. Mahakal cleared his throat, and his strange pale eyes bore into me. This time, there was a hint of warmth in his voice. “Would you join me for lunch? There’s a little restaurant across the street with a few decent Chaeten dishes. I think we both might be more comfortable hearing your story there.”
I managed to hide my shock. “Yes. Thank you, Major Mahakal.”
